Our Numbers That Define Us
by The-Spotted-Owl
Summary: Severus Snape is forced against his will to "test" a poorly brewed de-aging potion. Severus suddenly finds himself in the middle of Voldemort's grand scheme to destroy the golden trio. He must fit in to complete his mission for the dark lord. And when he falls in love with the brightest witch of her age, Severus is determined not to let another girl slip away from him.
1. Chapter 1: Young Again

**Hello everyone, and welcome to my story - Our Numbers That Define Us.**

**I promise romance and drama, with hopefully a bit of humor involved.**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Harry Potter!**

* * *

"My lord?"

"Severus, please sit."

Severus Snape pulled a chair from under the table and sat facing his master.

"You are probably wondering why I have summoned you here."

"Yes, my lord," Severus murmured, trying to hide his nervousness behind his grim face.

"I have a request for you, Severus," Voldemort said, his voice icy. "I wish to return to my younger, fitter body, as I am finding this one unsuitable for my future intentions. For months I have been searching for a way to make this possible, but I was left with nothing, until I discovered this."

Voldemort reached into his cloak and drew a flask, filled to the stopper with a green, fizzing substance.

"I have been using the knowledge you have given me to create a unique potion, one that may allow me to become my younger self once more."

"That is great news, my lord," Severus said, bowing his head in acknowledgement.

"Not quite, Severus. You see, because this potion is unique, I am not yet certain that this potion is safe and effective to use. I am in need of somebody loyal to their lord to consume it first, that way I can be sure that this is the answer to my problem."

Severus remained silent. He knew what the dark lord wanted, and when the dark lord wanted something, he was given it.

"So, naturally, I thought of you, Severus."

"But my lord, if the potion is dangerous then you may lose my service. Would it not be more prudent to make someone of a lesser rank to test the potion?" Severus asked, silently praying his lord changed his mind.

"I have been thinking, Severus. While you tell me you are mine, it seems your loyalties lie elsewhere..."

"My lord, you know I serve only for you-"

"Then drink the potion, Severus," Voldemort pushed the potion further forward, so it was directly within Severus' grasp.

"My lord, please-"

"Unless you wish to answer to Nagini, drink the potion, Severus."

Severus nodded to his lord and slowly reached out for the glass bottle. Grasping it, he pulled the stopper from the neck of the flask and sniffed the substance. It smelt burnt, over boiled, under stirred... While Severus would never say it to his face, he did question his master's brewing skills.

Slowly, Severus raised the flask to his lips and let the green liquid flow into his mouth. Each swallow made him feel like his throat was on fire, but he kept going. After all, his chances of survival would be greater if he just took the potion. Once the last drop was consumed; Severus set the flask back on the table and sighed.

"Very good, Severus." Voldemort nodded, taking the flask and returning it to his robe pocket. "If you happen to still be alive after this, I may raise your status."

What Voldemort didn't realise was that Severus wasn't paying attention. Voldemort's voice rang in Severus' head, getting quieter and quieter, slower and slower... The world began to spin around him, blurring his vision. Then suddenly, it felt like everything had stopped. Darkness consumed him.

* * *

"My lord, he is alive."

Severus opened his eyes, his vision slowly adjusting. Sitting up, he surveyed the room. He was still sitting in the same chair he passed out on, but Voldemort was standing next to him, with Bellatrix on his other side.

"It seems as if it has worked. Bella, you may go." Voldemort waved his hands in dismissal.

"Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord," Bellatrix said, bowing as she left the room.

"Severus, it seems that my potion has succeeded." Voldemort said.

"What does that mean, my lord?" Severus asked, his heart pumping harder as he waited for his master's reply.

"It means that you are a teenage boy. Sixteen years of age, to be precise."

Severus abruptly stood up. "Sixteen! My lord-"

"Sit, Severus." Voldemort glared at him, motioning for him to sit. Severus promptly did so.

"I do not know how long the effects will last for. It may be a week, a month, even eternity unless a cure is found. But no matter, I shall be taking this potion if all goes well. You are to return to Hogwarts, Severus, and attend as a student. While you are alive I may as well preserve you. After all, you have proven yourself to be loyal."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Now, if you are questioned, you must tell the truth. We cannot compromise the trust Dumbledore has in you."

"Of course, my lord."

"You may leave now."

"Thank you, my lord," Severus muttered, standing up and walking to the fireplace. Grabbing a handful of floo powder, he murmured, "Hogwarts School." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

Upon his arrival, Severus immediately flew out of his chambers and up to Dumbledore's office. As expected, Dumbledore was sitting in his office. After thoroughly explaining his experience to the headmaster, he waited for his response. Dumbledore said nothing, simple absorbing the information he had been given.

"Very well," Dumbledore began. "You will begin classes on Monday. The Hogwarts express arrives tomorrow, so I expect you will be at the entrance of the great hall for the sorting ceremony."

"Of course sir..." Severus' voice trailed off as he looked into a mirrored wall by Dumbledore's pensive. "Oh Godric!" He exclaimed, rushing over to the mirrors. Dumbledore chuckled, but followed shortly after.

"Yes, it must come as a shock to most to be staring at your former teenage self in the mirror." Dumbledore said. "I, on the other hand, would be rather pleased to once again have nice, smooth skin."

Severus looked at the headmaster oddly, who seemed to be staring off into space. But he quickly returned to his panic.

"What will they think of me, Albus?" Severus sighed.

"I'm sure Slytherin will respect you, Severus," Dumbledore smiled. "But that is not to say you will not be sorted into a different house."

"You think I am no longer a Slytherin?"

"I think that under the current circumstances..." Dumbledore trailed off, contemplating his next sentence. "You have done many brave and noble things, Severus."

"Are you suggesting that I will be sorted into Gryffindor, sir? Because I think that is highly unlikely-"

"Not at all, I am merely saying that you, along with many others, have changed since your childhood. Putting aside your dislike of Mr Potter, I think you would fit into Gryffindor, or any other house for that matter, just fine."

There was silence as Severus thought about this. He began to wonder what his life would be like if he was sorted differently. Would he be less sour? Would he have been happier? Bullied less? Could he have married Lily Evans?

"Well," Dumbledore said, breaking the silence. "You best get going, Severus. Tomorrow we will discuss cures. You may sleep in your chambers tonight, but when you are sorted tomorrow, you will be staying in the respective dorms."

"But sir, would I not be able to stay in my chambers for as long as I am a student?"

"I am sorry Severus. While your office will technically remain yours, you are no longer a teacher at Hogwarts. Besides, you don't want to isolate yourself from the other students, do you?"

Severus looked down. Albus knew him so well. Too well. Sometimes he wished he would have kept his horrible school life to himself.

"I know your past experiences with your school mates have been less than happy, but it doesn't have to be that way again."

Severus nodded and turned to leave.

"Severus. I trust you will make an effort this year to blend in, won't you? After all, we do not know for sure how temporary this is."

"Yes, Albus. I will try." And with that, a sixteen year old Severus Snape tore away from the headmaster's office and into his chambers.

* * *

He walked into his bedroom, kicked off his shoes, and threw them at the wall. The frustration of his current situation was getting to him. It was just too much. It was ten o'clock at night, and all Severus wanted to do was sleep. He summoned his pajamas with a simple 'accio', and stripped down. He was about to put his pyjamas on when he realised that they were far too big for his skinny, sixteen year old body. While the clothes he was wearing at the time of consuming the potion shrunk with him, the rest of his clothes did not.

Sighing, he recited a quick charm several times until his pajamas were much smaller. They were still baggy, but they were better than nothing. Severus was about to head to his bathroom when he decided to quickly rest his head on his pillow. He began reflecting on his day, memories flooding back to him. His last thought before he drifted off into an unexpected slumber was, 'why me?'

* * *

**So that's the first chapter! Please let me know what you think :)**

**Note: At the moment, I plan to have a chapter delay of three days at the maximum. But this may change due to my busy schedule.**


	2. Chapter 2: Explanations

**I got quite a few reviews saying that this story is completely implausible, but the first chapter didn't quite explain everything. Hopefully this chapter will clear up the confusion as to why Severus must be a student.**

**Thank you for all the reviews though! I appreciate each and every one of them**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

* * *

"Severus," a voice echoed through Severus' head.

"My Lord?" Severus replied.

"Letting your guard down at night, Severus. Tut tut," Voldemort scolded.

Damn, thought Severus. He'd forgotten to practise his legilimency the night before to build up his walls. Since the Dark Lord was so powerful, Severus' mind could be so easily invaded without his proper protections.

"I think you would quite like to know why I ordered you to return as a student, yes?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, my lord," Severus replied. "After all, I still have my knowledge from my previous school years. Why would I need to attend again?"

"This has nothing to do with education, Severus," Voldemort snapped.

"Then what is the plan, my lord?"

"You dare question my schemes?" Voldemort's voice was dangerously quiet. "I require you to befriend and woo the mudblood Hermione Granger. I have many ideas about what to do with her..." Voldemort's voice trailed off, while Severus mentally furrowed his brows in confusion.

"I'm sorry, my lord?" Severus asked, thinking of the implications of that statement.

"Severus! How dare you suggest..."

"No, no! Please do continue, my lord."

"I intend to use her to get information; get to Harry... maybe even set an example for the other mudbloods who don't do what they are told."

Severus would have widened his eyes at this if he had a physical being accessible in his mind. No matter how much he disliked Granger, he would never torture her. How could someone do something so vile, so sinister? But Voldemort is vile and sinister after all, Severus thought.

"You want me to woo Miss Granger, my lord?" Severus confirmed. "Would it not be more prudent to simply take her if you wanted her so badly?" He suggested.

"No. You must gain her full trust. Love, as I have heard, is the one of the most powerful emotions one can feel. She must put all of her faith in you. Then, when I say the time is right, you will take her to a certain location and I will take her away. Besides, she is too hard to get to at Hogwarts. That is why I need you."

"My lord, that still does not explain why I must befriend her," Severus said.

"As well as wooing Granger you will befriend Weasley and Potter. You will take them and search for the mudblood, and then I will take them also. Perhaps you could even find a way to take their wands. Once the 'golden trio' are gone, I will be unstoppable." Voldemort said, laughing quietly.

"You are the lure, Severus," he said. "Don't let them get away, or else."

"Yes, my lord," Severus said, gulping.

"My lord?" Severus asked. "Was I really testing your potion?"

"You were such a fool, Severus." Voldemort laughed again. "Why would I need to test my potions? I am the dark lord."

Severus knew exactly why he needed to test his potions, but chose not to comment.

"Now, I will let you enjoy the rest of your sleep. I expect you will need it."

And with that, Severus could feel that the dark lord's presence was gone.

* * *

The next morning, Severus woke with a headache. Having Voldemort in his mind for so long was torture.

After getting dressed, he headed down to breakfast. All of the staff members were there already. Dumbledore was in the middle of the staff table as usual, which meant he would be hard to talk to. He had to tell him about the conversation he had with his master.

"Ah, Severus," Albus said as Severus approached the table. "Please, take your usual seat," he said motioning for Severus to head to the end of the table.

"Albus?" Severus began. "Do you think I could talk to you after breakfast?"

Albus saw the serious look in Severus' eyes and nodded.

"Of course," Albus replied. "See me in my office at ten."

Severus nodded back and went to eat. He was starving. He missed dinner last night because of his meeting with Voldemort.

* * *

"Albus?" Severus called out as he entered the headmaster's office.

"Severus, please take a seat." Albus said. He was sitting behind his desk with a warm smile on his face. "How may I help you?" He asked.

"Voldemort invaded my mind last night." Severus began.

Albus' smile disappeared and was replaced with a worried look.

Severus replied the entire conversation, leaving Dumbledore looking more serious than before.

"As I suspected..." Albus said, his voice trailing off.

"You knew?!" Severus exclaimed.

"Did you really think I was so cruel to make you suffer another school year when you already had exceptional NEWTs?" Albus asked, chuckling. "Severus, I thought that since Voldemort wanted you to attend school, I would not get in the way of that. He always has his reasons."

Severus remained silent.

"I didn't know for sure," Albus continued. "But I simply had a suspicion he wanted you to get close with a few students."

Severus thought for a moment. "Do you think that's all there is to it, Albus?" He asked.

"No," Albus answered grimly. "I think he has intentions of using the potion, as he said last night."

"What do I do then?" Severus asked helplessly. "I cannot lure our students to the dark lord to have them tortured and killed!" He exclaimed.

"Severus," Albus said, speaking very calmly now. "All you can do for now is do what the dark lord says. But do not let Mr Weasley, Mr Potter and Miss Granger leave just yet. Try to hold Voldemort's decision to take them off. That will give us time to think of a plan."

"I will try," Severus said, standing up to leave.

"And Severus," Albus continued. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

Severus simply nodded to Albus and swiftly left the office with a bad feeling. He knew that today was going to be horrible.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Feel free to review and let me know what you think :)**


	3. Chapter 3: The Sorting

**Wow. There is a much greater response and a larger interest in this story than I ever expected! Now I'm pressured no to let everyone down, haha :)****  
Thankyou so much to everyone for clicking on my story! And thank you so much to those who have followed, favourite and reviewed! It means so much to me that you take the time to do that **

**Just a quick note: This chapter is a bit different from the other two, as it focuses mostly on Harry Potter and his friends for the first half of it.**

**Anyway, enough rambling from me!**

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series is not mine**

* * *

The next day was the day every young witch and wizard anticipated. Today was the day of the famous Hogwarts Express journey to the Hogwarts castle. Nervous first years were fumbling their way around the train, while excited seventh years were chatting exuberantly, looking forward to the year ahead. The train's whistle blew and steam filled the room as the train began to move. Students waved to their families through the windows of the train as it departed from platform nine and three quarters.

Harry Potter and his two best friends, Hermione and Ron, along with Ron's sister Ginny and their good friend, Neville Longbottom sat in a compartment together. They all watched the scenery wiz by at a great rate as they headed into the countryside.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" A familiar voice sounded from the doorway of the compartment.

"Yes please," they all said, getting out their money.

The five students paid for their delicious food and ate in silence.

"Reckon we'll get any peace this year?" Ron eventually asked, his mouth stuffed with pumpkin pasties.

"That is absolutely disgusting Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get Ron to close his mouth while he ate. Ron swallowed his food, grinning.

"Sorry, 'mione," Ron said, giving her an apologetic look. Hermione just smiled and looked away, trying to act bothered by his seemingly insincere reaction. Harry saw right through all of this, of course. His two best friends obviously liked each other, but both were too afraid to admit it.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "But to answer your question, no, I don't think we will."

"Hermione's right," Harry agreed. "Voldemort-"

The gang cringed.

"Fine, he who must not be named," Harry continued, "is growing even more powerful by the minute. Chances are he'll have another plan to kill me."

Hermione was about to reply when there was a knock at the compartment door.

"Hello," an airy voice said. The five students turned their head to find an interesting looking girl wandering in to their compartment. Of course, it was none other than Luna Lovegood, whom they met last year.

"Hello Loone-" Hermione went red and quietly corrected herself, "Luna."

"Hello Hermione. Hello everyone," Luna said, taking a seat next to Neville. "Mind if I join you?" She asked, taking out her favourite magazine – 'The Quibbler'.

"Of course," Hermione said, smiling awkwardly.

A few hours went by and the train was due to arrive in thirty minutes. Everyone was in a great mood. The train ride had gone very well, the weather was perfect, and they were almost at Hogwarts. Harry had mentioned his suspicions about Draco Malfoy, but the others found it a bit farfetched.

Harry finally spoke up, "please excuse me for a moment," he said, standing up and taking his bag.

"Harry," Hermione whispered desperately. "Please don't get involved. Malfoy isn't worth it."

Harry simply looked at her apologetically and left.

"Well, I suppose I'd better get changed," Hermione said, picking up her bag.

"Me too," Ron agreed, also standing up and grabbing his bag. "I'll come with you Hermione."

Hermione went bright red, as she thought about the implications of that statement. Neville, Luna and Ginny all sniggered as Ron's face also went beet red in realisation.

"No! Not like that!" Ron said, trying to quickly cover up his mistake. "I meant I'll walk to the bathrooms with you Hermione, not-"

"Just go, Ron," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "We might get caught in the huge lines outside the bathrooms if we don't go now.

And with that, Hermione and Ron walked off to get changed.

"I suppose I'd better change too," Luna said, picking up her oddly designed bag.

"I'll stay here and look after our compartment," Ginny said.

"I'll stay too," Neville said, as Luna walked out of the compartment, the hundreds of beads on her bag making a rather loud noise.

There was an awkward silence after that, until Ginny finally spoke.

"I wish my brother would just kiss her already," she said to Neville, who nodded. "It's so infuriating to watch them act like that."

"Do you think they'll ever get together?" Neville asked.

"I don't know," Ginny replied, thinking for a moment. "I think Ron has a crush on Hermione, but I don't think its love. He looks at her the same way he looked at Fleur. I don't know if that's enough to be able to be together forever."

There was a few more seconds of silence as the pair thought about this, but their thoughts were quickly interrupted by the opening of their compartment door. Ron ran inside and sat down opposite Ginny and Neville.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Hermione exclaimed as she entered the compartment in her school robes, sitting down next to Ginny instead of Ron.

"It's not that big of a deal, Hermione." Ron replied, looking slightly nervous but determined at the same time.

"What? Exploding toilets are not a big deal, are they?!"

"It was an accident, I swear!" Ron yelled back defensively.

Ginny stood up, breaking the row. "Ok, that's enough!"

Hermione and Ron both went silent, turning away from each other and folding their arms like two children having a fight. Ginny shook her head at this and sighed. This was going to be a long fifteen minutes to Hogwarts, she thought.

* * *

When the train finally arrived at the station, Luna and Harry still hadn't come back.

"What if something happened to them?" Hermione asked, worrying for her friends' safety.

"I'm sure they're ok. They have their bags with them, maybe they're already getting off," Ginny suggested. But Hermione was not convinced that this was the case.

The four friends stepped off of the train and began the long, painful walk to the carriages.

Meanwhile, Luna was walking down the train aisles with her bag, searching for her hairbrush that someone had no doubt stolen.

"Ah, there it is!" She exclaimed, picking it up in relief. As she lifted it, she gasped. A cloak had come off with the hairbrush, revealing none other than Harry Potter. He had a bloody nose which looked particularly painful. Panicking slightly, she turned around to get help, but stopped in her tracks when she saw a strange looking women walk towards them. She had pink hair and a nose that looked halfway between a human's and a duck's. The lady gasped as she approached Harry and Luna.

"Hi there, my name's Tonks," the lady said as she bent down to examine Harry. "I'm a friend of Harry's." She stood up and studied Luna, as if she was deciding something. "You must be Luna," she said.

"That's me," Luna replied, smiling. "I was looking for my hairbrush when I found Harry lying under a cloak. I think it was invisible."

Tonks muttered a charm that Luna couldn't quite make out, and Harry immediately sat bolt upright, rubbing his nose.

"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks said, helping him up and taking his invisibility cloak.

"Tonks!" Harry exclaimed, "what are you doing here?"

"I've been sent to inspect the train, to make sure people like you don't end up on their way back to London."

Harry looked down, sheepishly.

"Stop blaming yourself, Harry. It's not like you did it to yourself," Tonks said, smiling. "Luna, you still might be able to make the carriages if you hurry."

Luna nodded, quickly turned around and ran out of the train, her beaded bag clanging at her side.

"As for you, Harry. You need to quickly get your bag and get going." Tonks continued." You'll probably be too late to catch the carriages, so you'll be coming with me."

Harry simply nodded, turning to go and get his bag.

"Meet me on the platform in ten minutes, no later. Else you'll be back in London before your nose stops bleeding." Tonks winked and then left to continue her search of the train.

* * *

Hermione sat next to Ron and Ginny in the great hall, waiting for the sorting ceremony to begin. Harry still wasn't there, which meant something had happened. Hermione was convinced that something bad happened to Harry, but Ron and Ginny reassured her that he was most likely going to be fine.

Just then, a big creak echoed through the hall. Everyone turned around, expecting a stream of first year students ready to be sorted. Instead, only one of the two large doors was open. The hall went silent, confused about what was happening. Maybe something exciting was going on. There were a few murmurs of confusion as to what was going on.

But instead of something unusual, there was just Harry, who looked like he had been beaten up from the state of his face. Harry quickly hurried down the middle of the hall and found his friends.

Hermione looked to Harry with concern as he sat himself down opposite her. The hall slowly returned to its usual loud chatter.

"What happened, mate?" Ron asked, furrowing his brows.

"You look like you've been punched in the nose!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Kicked, actually," Harry mumbled.

"What?!" Hermione's eyes went wide, and then narrowed in realisation. "Let me guess, Malfoy?"

Harry nodded grimly.

"I knew something bad had happened," Hermione said to Ron and Ginny.

"But he's ok now," Ginny pointed out, "aren't you, Harry?"

"I'm fine, honestly," Harry agreed.

Hermione pulled out her wand and aimed it at Harry's face. She uttered a quick charm, and in no time Harry's face was clean and left no evidence of a beaten nose.

"That's brilliant, thanks Hermione," Harry said, smiling. Hermione returned the smile.

Ron's eyes darted worriedly between the two as they looked at each other. Hermione noticed this and looked down at the table to hide her blush.

Suddenly, there was a louder creak coming from the great doors, as they were both pushed open. A long line of first years hurried after Professor McGonagall, who always took unnecessarily long strides. Hermione watched them as they passed by. Most of them looked nervous and amazed, but there were always a few that looked calm and cool.

Hermione suddenly gasped.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Is that... Snape?" Hermione whispered, her eyes wide in shock. She pointed to the older looking boy at the back of the line, looking particularly nervous.

"Probably just a look-a-like..." Ron began.

"Ron! Snape isn't at the staff table!" Hermione exclaimed. "But that's impossible... That boy looks like he's in our year!" Hermione exclaimed. There is something going on, Hermione thought. Same greasy hair, same brown eyes... No! Why was she thinking like that? Even though this boy was good-looking, if it was Snape, it would still be her potions professor.

"Let's wait and see," Harry said, his eyes narrowing. This made Hermione break out of her trance, earning her a few confused looks from Harry and Ron.

The first years were called up one by one as usual. There was an even mix of new students joining each house, and Gryffindor gained some promising new students. After all of the first years had been sorted, Professor McGonagall read out the final name on the list;

"Severus Snape," she called out. The great hall was deadly silent. Then suddenly, chatter broke out amongst the students.

"I knew it!" Hermione said, looking proud of herself, but still a bit confused at the same time.

Professor McGonagall frowned at the sudden noise and yelled out, "silence!" Everyone immediately stopped talking, making the room unnaturally quiet once more.

* * *

Severus slowly sat down on the old wooden stool. He remembered being in this same position many decades ago. Being sorted into Slytherin, being separated from Lily... He tried to push these thoughts away. He shouldn't dwell on the past...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sorting hat being placed on his head. 'Hmmm, interesting,' the hat thought. Only Severus and the hat could hear this conversation, which Severus was glad about.

'I can tell you are not meant to be sixteen,' the hat said.

'I want this year to be different,' Severus thought to the hat. 'I don't want to be a depressing student again. I want to be happy this time.'

'Are you sure?' The hat replied. 'You would suit all of the houses really, but Slytherin is your true place. You are brave, loyal and intelligent, yes, but you are also cunning-'

'I want to be accepted,' Severus stated.

'Perhaps Hufflepuff then-'

'Anything but Slytherin. Just not Slytherin. I can't go back to the way I was before'.

He expected the hat to argue back, but instead it was silent. Severus looked at the masses of students all looking at him, and he gulped.

Suddenly, the hat yelled out.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

**I feel like this chapter wasn't as good as the other ones, but maybe i'm being too critical. The next one should hopefully be a bit better, as there is more focus on Severus.**

**Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think :)**


	4. Chapter 4: First Impressions

**This chapter is a bit longer than the others, but that may be to make up for no new chapter tomorrow, as I will be very busy. If I don't get a chance to write a new one, I should have a new chapter up the next day :)**

**Anyway, onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the original Harry Potter series.**

* * *

Gryffindor? No, that had to be a mistake. He was expecting Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw... maybe even Slytherin if the hat was going to be stubborn. It had not so much as mentioned Gryffindor as a potential option. But he supposed that would make his mission a lot easier. In fact, he had forgotten all about his mission momentarily with the stress of the sorting. Maybe the hat knew...

The Gryffindors' claps starting out very slow, eventually picking up speed and turning into the regular cheering and whooping. A very nervous looking Severus stood up, and turned to walk over to the Gryffindor table. He was suddenly stopped by Professor Dumbledore, who put his hand on his shoulder. Severus wasn't expecting this and jumped slightly. There was a small bout of giggles amongst the students, but the room went silent very quickly, eager to hear what Dumbledore had to say.

Severus gulped. He really would prefer it if he wasn't in the spotlight. But here he was. The entire Hogwarts student body was staring at him and Dumbledore expectantly. Dumbledore motioned for Severus to follow him to his podium. Severus stood next to the famous podium while Dumbledore stood behind it.

"To our new first years, welcome." Dumbledore began. "And to everybody else, welcome back! I trust that you have had a splendid break and are ready and eager to continue your magical education."

There were a few mutters at that statement, but Dumbledore ignored them and continued speaking.

"Before we begin the feast, I believe I have a bit of explaining to do." He said, gesturing to Severus. "This is your former potions master, Severus Snape."

The hall blew up like the Weasley twins' fireworks. Dumbledore looked to Severus, who was visibly uncomfortable.

"Silence!" Dumbledore boomed. Like with Professor McGonagall, the hall abruptly went silent. "Now," he continued, his famous, warm smile returning to his face.

"Yesterday, Severus became a victim of a scheme of Voldemort. His body has been de-aged to sixteen years old." Every student and staff member had a shocked look on their face. This was far beyond what any of them expected. Severus could tell they were very surprised by the lack of chatter breaking out again.

Dumbledore continued. "Severus was sent to be a student at Hogwarts, and of course we never question the dark lord. I will not go into detail as to exactly why this is, but I will say that Severus must be treated like a normal student. Please respect him as you would your peers."

Dumbledore motioned for Severus to sit down at his designated house table. Severus stumbled down from the front of the great hall with shaky legs, making his way to find a seat at the table.

"Now, let us eat!" Dumbledore exclaimed. The hall burst into chatter again, as people devoured their dinner. The extra long sorting meant they were starving.

Meanwhile, Severus was having trouble finding a seat. Every time he walked past a small space on the bench, it would quickly close as people noticed him. Sighing, he decided to try a different tactic. He put on his best smile and walked confidently down the long aisle. After what seemed like forever, Severus finally spotted a large gap between two students. He quickly made his way over, still smiling, and sat down between the two students before they even realised what was happening.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Severus asked, as the two students turned around.

Severus gasped as he realised who he was sitting next to. The two students also gasped. It was none other than Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. And just his luck, opposite him was Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.

"Fine, Ron! Do what you like!" Hermione exclaimed, scooting away from her friend, leaving a rather large gap between them. She saw Harry and Ginny roll their eyes at this, but simply pretended not to have noticed and continued looking at Ron in disapproval. For the next few minutes, the four friends ate in silence. Hermione was just about to get some more potatoes when she noticed a student sitting down between her and Ron. She turned her head to find the person she least expected to see.

Hermione and Ron both gasped at the same time, along with Severus, who looked just as shocked as they did.

"Gr- Hermione! Ron!" Severus quickly corrected himself. He was supposed to get friendly with them, after all.

"Sn- Severus!" Hermione exclaimed, also correcting herself.

Ron did not bother to be polite, however. "Snape! What are you doing!?" He exclaimed.

Severus looked like he was about to throw his famous insults back at Ron, but quickly changed his expression to a small smile.

"Good to see you too, Weasley," he joked.

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. How was Sna- Severus, being friendly with one of his most disliked students? Ron looked rather shocked too, as he suddenly went silent.

Harry and Ginny were just sitting there, watching the whole situation play out in front of them.

Severus looked to Harry. He seemed to be contemplating how he would address him. Hermione knew about his hatred of his father, and therefore he would naturally hate Harry. If Severus addressed him as Harry, then she would be very suspicious.

"Snape," Harry was the first to speak. His expression was neutral, not full of hatred, but at the same time not kind.

"Potter," Snape snapped back.

That was better, thought Hermione. He does hate Harry the most, after all. While she was supposedly very annoying in his classes, he really had no reason to hate her like he did Harry. That wasn't to say she didn't approve of the hatred that was shared between the two, it was just normal. And at this point in her life, Hermione appreciated all the normal she could get.

He really shouldn't have snapped at Harry. That was counterproductive. But he couldn't help the immediate reaction he had to hate the boy. He looked exactly like his father, after all, and Snape could never put James' history behind him. He loathed that man. He harassed him throughout the whole school year. He hurt him, made a fool out of him, and stole his Lily...

Eventually he would have to get friendly with Potter, but he was not ready to face that just yet. Besides, it would seem too suspicious if he was suddenly kind to the boy. Hermione was one of his best students. She could be very annoying at times with her constant eagerness to answer every question that was fired her way, but he had no reason to hate her. That made it more believable that Severus would be neutral towards her. The Weasley boy he would be slightly less accepting of, but he yet again had no reason to hate him either. It was just that bothersome Potter.

Severus started helping himself to dinner as Potter and Weasley glared at him. He was startled to hear Weasley speak again;

"Bloody hell!" He exclaimed, abruptly dropping his fork on his plate. "We have to share a room with our potions professor!"

Harry's nose crinkled as Ron said this, obviously just as displeased as he was.

"In case you have failed to notice, Weasley," Severus began, "I am a student now. Therefore I shall be staying in the student dormitories."

"You're still a middle aged man, though!" Ron said, picking his fork back up and stuffing his mouth full of potatoes.

Severus suppressed the urge to yell at Weasley and took a deep breath. He could not let his rage get the better of him. If he failed the dark lord, then he would most likely be Nagini's dinner. He couldn't get the boys to pretend, either. While Severus was a skilled legilimens, Voldemort was still a lot better than he would ever be. The dark lord could easily read Severus' mind and be able to tell if he was being deceived. Plus, he doubted that the boys would ever do something like that for Severus' sake.

Nobody spoke as they ate, not wanting to start another argument. Just as Severus had finished eating, he was tapped on the shoulder.

"Oy, mate," Weasley said, his mouth full of food. He swallowed with a large gulp and continued. "Do you mind if I have my seat back?" He said, glaring at Severus.

"I'm sorry?" Severus asked. He didn't think Weasley wanted to sit there anyway.

"I was sitting next to Hermione before you so rudely barged on through," Ron explained, as if this made perfect sense and was entirely fair.

"Actually," Severus contradicted. "I was under the impression that you did not want to sit together. Another row, I presume?"

Weasley was about to say something when Hermione spoke up.

"Ron, just leave it. Please," she pleaded. Severus could tell she was trying to avoid a full blown fight breaking out.

"What?" Weasley asked, looking incredulous. "Are you enjoying his company?"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. She seemed lost for words. Severus guessed she didn't want to insult him or say the wrong thing. "I don't mind if Severus sits here or not," she stated.

"Why, because he's so good looking?" Weasley snapped. Severus suppressed a smirk. Weasley was jealous of his presence, and was making it very obvious.

Hermione was beyond furious. It was the first night back at Hogwarts and Ron had already started a row.

"Why, because he's so good looking?" Ron had said, waiting for her reply. Hermione felt herself go bright red.

Sure, Severus was quite good looking. But he wasn't the most handsome man in the world and he had horribly greasy hair. Putting that aside, though, he wasn't that bad. After all, he was intelligent, witty, brave...

No! Why on earth was she having these thoughts?! That was disgusting! He was her middle-aged potions professor.

"Well," Hermione began. "I suppose you might think that, Ronald."

Ron's face went beet red. "Are you-"

"In love with your potions professor, Ron?" Ginny interrupted, noticing that Hermione was struggling.

Hermione looked at her with gratitude.

"How long has this been going on?" Ginny continued to tease Ron.

Hermione noticed Severus go slightly pink, but he quickly regained his composure once more.

"While this is a fascinating discussion," Severus began, "I would rather not be involved in your conversations about who is lusting over whom."

Hermione saw Ron's face screw up.

"I am not lusting over-" Ron was interrupted by the famous clinking of Dumbledore's goblet.

The hall went silent as the great feast disappeared. Everyone turned to face the headmaster, ready to hear his usual speech.

Once the feast had ended, Severus stood up, ready to follow the Gryffindors to the dormitories. While he knew where it was, he needed the password. He was no longer a staff member who had access to all of the protected rooms in the castle.

As the Gryffindors got up to go, no one paid him much mind. In his opinion, that was good. That meant they were not about to bully him, and hopefully would never have any interest in doing so.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a large bump on his side. The force made him fall to the ground. Severus watched as Weasley shoved past him. That vile child! He thought Potter would be the main problem, but now that he got to know Weasley better, he hated him even more.

Potter looked down at Severus, almost looking apologetic, before being swept away in the current of students. He may have misjudged Potter's kindness. At least he was decent enough to have an inch of empathy for him.

Severus took shelter under the bench seats until the majority of the students had left. There were just the few stragglers that were leaving the hall and the staff members that were left.

He quickly rolled out from under the bench and was about to stand up when he found Hermione standing there, looking down at him with a small, sympathetic smile. Embarrassed, Severus stood up and dusted his robes off.

"I'm sorry about Ron, Severus," she began, her smile being replaced with a frown. Severus could tell that she was furious with Weasley.

Severus sighed. "Thanks," he said, giving her a small smile. Should he try to flirt with her? Was it too soon? Severus was beginning to doubt his ability to fulfil his master's wishes.

"I can walk with you to the dormitories if you want," Hermione offered. "Though I presume you already know where they are," she added.

Severus nodded. "Why don't you hate me like Weasley and Potter?" He questioned. Hermione looked rather surprised at the sudden question, but still looked eager to give him an answer. Nothing has changed, Severus mused. He grinned slightly at this thought.

"Well," Hermione began as they exited the great hall. "While you have been less than kind to me in my past Hogwarts years, I am willing to put that behind me if you agree to do the same."

"I am willing to do so for you, but I cannot say the same about Weasley and Potter. You have done nothing wrong, while the boys..."

Hermione sighed. "I know," she said. "Harry will be very reluctant about the idea of being nice, but he is far too nice to say it to your face. Ron, on the other hand-"

"Has no fear in hurting other's feelings?"

"Yes," Hermione finished, nodding her head. There was a pause in conversation as the pair hiked up the moving staircases, but continued once they reached their floor.

"I am going to pretend that you are simply a new student," Hermione said. "But if you do or say anything nasty to me, I will assume you will not have changed and treat you like Professor Snape."

"That sounds fair," Severus agreed, as they approached the fat lady. Severus' heart was beating rather hard. He was still nervous about how the students were going to react. After all, they could do a lot more to him in the safety of the common room.

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review if you want to let me know what you think :)**


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